Twinning for Industrial Sustainability (TRUST)

Research Project, 2018 – 2022

The TRUST project aims to boost research excellence in the area of INDUSTRIAL SUSTAINABILITY by increasing the scientific and technical capacities. This will allow to support and engage European industries in their pathway to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals. TRUST partnership brings together ISQ, a Portuguese research institution and two internationally-leading universities, University of Cambridge and Chalmers University of Technology.

In TRUST, ISQ will be building upon their experience and development potential it has demonstrated in this area to address their issues related to the lack of both scientific culture to systematize/theorize of their project results (leading to poor scientific productivity) as well as lack of specialized training in emerging sustainability assessment and management tools.

The TRUST concept will be achieved following an approach based on an active shared learning strategy, based on:

1) Training of staff on-campus, on-line courses and webinars;

2) Joint initiatives including staff exchange, joint supervision, experience of different research & organizational cultures, scientific review, organization of biannual summer schools and joint scientific publications; and

3) Dissemination and communication strategy allowing the engagement of relevant stakeholders, namely by TRUST workshops and annual stakeholder exchange forums, to foster the identification of new partnerships and industrial driven research opportunities.

The TRUST partnership will not only improve the scientific and technical capacities of ISQ but will also set the basis for a long lasting cooperation for the development of excellence research in service of the European industry. This initiative will create a Joint Research Agenda beyond TRUST project lifetime, aiming to contribute to a more balanced development of the European Research. This twining initiatives are aligned with the European Commission strategy for the creation of “stairways to excellence”.